Milwaukee Bucks: Comparing assets for P.J. Tucker trade to other suitors

How do the Los Angeles Lakers assets compare to the Milwaukee Bucks?

The reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, have had to battle plenty of adversity in their title defense this season.

At 25-13 on the season and three games back of the top seed in the West, the Lakers are trying to keep the ship steady while they remain without All-Star forward Anthony Davis. All eyes continue to remain on Davis’ recovery from tendinosis and a calf strain.

And much like the Bucks and the Nets, the Lakers are operating with a hand behind their back when it comes to trying to add a midseason reinforcement, at least through trade.

Due to the significant haul they parted with to acquire Davis two summers ago, the Lakers’ first round picks are tied to the New Orleans Pelicans for the next four years, though they own their first rounder this season. Along with that, they have their second round picks in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2027.

As far as their young prospects go, they have little by way of enticing assets, the exceptions being Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker. Both are set to be free agents, with Horton-Tucker being restricted if the Lakers tender his $1.8 million qualifying offer, and could be elsewhere in the offseason if another team swoops in offers more money than the Lakers can afford or are willing to dish out for either or both.

This is a certainly the challenge in trying to sustain a championship-winning team, even as the Lakers have clear starpower on their side.